Danestress Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Neither likes fantasy stuff. No dragons, please! Both like the Alex Rider series, but has maybe outgrown it. They like stories of adventure, but have read a lot of othem. One likes Ray Bradbury, but not science fiction in general. Loved Harry Potter back in the day. They like real human characters. I am just stumped on books. I think maybe they are ready for more adult books .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down_the_Rabbit_Hole Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Dirk Pitt books by Clive Cussler are adventure books. I cannot remember if there is some adult content, if so it was not a big part of the book, I only remember the adventures. My ds loved these when he was in high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 I feel like that's prime Stephen King time... but some parents wouldn't be comfortable giving most of his books to their teens. There are other adult writers of pop fiction as well - John Grisham, Scott Turow, Clive Cussler, Tom Clancy, etc. who might appeal. I knew a kid that age once who was really into Elmore Leonard. Though again, adult themes so some parents would be fine with it and others not so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 My 14 yo ds is currently reading the Hunger Games Trilogy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zenjenn Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 They don't like fantasy, but they loved Harry Potter? Don't like science-fiction, but likes Ray Bradbury? Alright, you'll have to forgive me, but I'm going to throw out some sci-fi and fantasy suggestions, but I'll keep it to stuff with real human characters. It sounds like they might like quality speculative fiction, but not dragons and shoot-em-up spacemen. I agree with the Stephen King point. At that age - maybe a bit younger, the 12-13 range, I read Stephen King voraciously. Other books I read at that age that I loved: - Tunnel in the Sky by Robert Heinlein (I also loved other Heinlein books, but many have adult themes. Tunnel was written for young readers.) - Riverworld: To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer - Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clarke Heinlein, Clarke, Farmer are all Bradbury-style sci-fi. Also, Asimov, though I personally find Asimov a little dry. - Illusions - by Richard Bach (I read all of his crazy books when I was an early teen, but Illusions is the classic one.) - Lord of the Rings - by J.R.R. Tolkien - I was almost exactly 14 when I read it. Too old to have read this as a child, but good modern High School reads: - The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins - The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - Stardust by Neil Gaiman (Gaiman is fantasy but is just a phenomenal storyteller, real human characters.) - Ready Player One - by Ernest Cline (I'm actually not *sure* how well this would go off with young people. It has a LOT of 80's nostalgia stuff in it that makes it appeal to Gen X readers, but it one ride of a book and the character is a teen. Near-future sci-fi, internet adventure.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Science fiction for people who don't like science fiction--very focused on the main character. Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 (edited) Ds (15) is currently reading Stephen King's The Stand. Definitely some mature themes, but he's mature enough. Over the summer he read Watership Down, and loved it. Have they read the Maximum Ride series? Sci-fi technically, but mostly focused on the characters. Sci fi only plays into it because of the abilities of the protagonists, and antagonists. ETA: Ds really enjoyed reading Dan Brown's Angels and Demons. Edited December 17, 2011 by Unicorn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmamainva Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 I second the "Lord of the Rings" recommendation! My 12yo is currently going through a Tolkien phase. He also went through a Harry Potter phase when he was 10 or so. The movies make a nice addition for Christmas, too. After he finishes a book, he watches the corresponding movie. He's just about ready to start the last book, "The Return of the King." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Pendragon series by DJ MacHale. It's time travel, but not too sci-fi. 10 book series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Aren't Alex Rider spy books for kids? If so, then what about LeCarre? I can't speak to content b/c it has been so long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Sherlock Holmes is a good transition to more adult novels. This is the kind of stuff Calvin is now reading, but he started out with SH, Bertie Wooster, etc. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.